Armed with a shotgun, Braddock Mayor John Fetterman followed and confronted a man after hearing what he thought to be gunfire in the streets last weekend.

Fetterman told WTAE reporter Bob Mayo that he hurried to get his young son inside his home when he heard about a dozen gunshots that sounded like they came from an assault rifle around 4 p.m. Saturday on Parker Avenue.

Fetterman said he saw a man take off on foot, wearing a face mask and goggles. He thought the person might be associated with the gunfire, so he called 911 and got into his truck and pursued.

“I didn’t know if it was a rampage. I didn’t know if it was a drive-by. I didn’t understand. No one could know what was going on at that point, other than a large number of shots were fired from what sounded like a high-powered rifle,” said Fetterman. “At that point, I made a decision as a parent, and as a mayor, to intervene until the first responders could get there and sort it all out.”

Fetterman said he confronted the man in North Braddock in the area near the railroad trestle. He said he had a 20-gauge shotgun in his vehicle, and he brandished it when he caught up to the person and ordered him to stop, not knowing if the person was armed.

“I ordered him twice, ‘Just stay right there,’ and he refused. That’s when I felt like I needed to make sure because I didn’t know what was coming,” Fetterman explained, emphasizing the firearm was never aimed at Miyares. “I did remove a weapon from my car, but I did not point it at him. In fact, I didn’t even have a round chambered or the safety off.”

The mayor said he was joined by police officers, who were responding to his 911 call, and the officers took control of the situation.

The man they caught up with was Chris Miyares, who was checked for weapons and let go when officers didn’t find any.

Miyares gave Mayo his account of the situation, saying he was jogging near Ben Fairelss School when he heard a car horn behind him.

“I pulled my sunglasses off and pulled my earphones out of my ear, and I looked up, and it was the mayor of Braddock,” Miyares said. “He jumped in his Ford F-150 and followed me into North Braddock and pulled a shotgun and aimed it at my chest.”

Miyares said he, too, heard what he thought was gunfire, but believes it came from a group of kids shooting off bottle rockets nearby.

“There were three kids in the parking lot where the Dumpster is by the library. They were just shooting off bottle rockets. I heard it when I was running up Parker (Avenue) and it kind of got me too until I looked up and saw colors,” he said.

North Braddock's police chief said his officers reported the incident was over when they arrived, but Miyares told Mayo that wasn't the case.

"I mean, there's a mayor with a shotgun, and six other cops surrounding me. What else can I do but (put my hands up)?" said Miyares.

Fetterman told Mayo that a search of the area where Miyares claimed he saw the kids didn't turn up any trace of bottle rockets.

The mayor described the situation as confusing and scary. He said his intention was "to defend the community.” He has not been charged with any wrongdoing.

"I believe I did the right thing, but I may have broken the law during the course of it. You know, I'm certainly not above the law, but what I did, I did in a split second out of concern as a father and the mayor," said Fetterman.

"He's trying to make it like it's OK. I mean, he's trying to justify what he did. I mean, you're the mayor of Braddock in North Braddock with a shotgun," said Miyares.